B'ville to get $400K grant for open space

BERNARDSVILLE - Santa Claus stopped at borough hall a bit early
this year, dropping off notification of a $400,000 Green Acres
grant for open space acquisition from the state Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP).

A letter from the DEP alerting borough officials to the grant
was received about a week before Thanksgiving. Mayor James Williams
announced the award at the outset of the Borough Council's meeting
on Monday, Nov. 24.

While welcomed, the funding caught officials somewhat off-guard.
Paperwork seeking the grant was submitted to the DEP about a year
ago, Williams explained on Monday, Dec. 1.

"It came out of the blue," the mayor said of the agency's
letter. "I'm happy, but surprised."

Any land acquired with the grant would be subject to state Green
Acres guidelines, which requires that it be forever kept for
recreation and/or conservation purposes.

The $400,000 is a matching grant, meaning that the borough would
have to ante up the same amount in order to obtain the state funds.
The grant total equates to 10 percent of a $4 million open space
wish list that was submitted to the DEP, Williams said.

The wish list included about 10 parcels that would be needed to
establish a walking trail throughout the borough. Williams said the
list did not include the Ruschmann farm along Route 202, a tract
that many consider crucial to maintaining the municipality's
semi-rural quality in its western section.

The council is already working to acquire one of the parcels,
which is more than two acres in size and located off Meeker Road.
Williams would not release details of the negotiations but said
municipal acquisition efforts began recently when officials learned
the property was on the market.

The state Legislature must appropriate the Green Acres grant
funding in next year's state budget. The borough's matching portion
would be generated from the proceeds of the municipal open space
tax that was enacted in 1999.

The tax generates between $200,000 and $250,000 annually,
according to Williams. Some of the proceeds have been used to pay
debt on the acquisition of the former Evankow property adjacent to
the Polo Grounds. There is currently a pool of about $600,000
available, meaning the council would not have to raise its $400,000
grant-match through additional taxation next year, the mayor
said.

No deadline for spending the grant was mentioned in the letter,
but Williams said it's likely that the state funds won't be
available indefinitely.

"Typically, when the state grants you money, it's good for the
short term," he said.

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